Summer Jiang
Family History The Jiang family's migration is that of the typical American immigrant story, but with one small difference: There was only one, married to an American soldier sent to assist during the Boxer Rebellion, and she was a Mage from a relatively established family, already a few generations old. Coming to America, they brought many of their practices with them, ranging from holdovers from ancient Chinese alchemy, to yoga and a desire to find an elixir of immortality at the back of every member's mind. Even before departing their homeland, the family was very well regarded, both for their wisdom and their unique, versatile and useful power: The ability to manipulate atomic structure. From turning swords brittle mid-swing, to making even the most complex locks nothing but dust, to simply creating any previously discovered type of medication on demand, her family was welcome among the mages of the New World. That is, until the generation previous the current. Wei Jiang, her grandfather, marrying an Irish immigrant already wise to the world of mages, had by her two children. First, a son with a very promising future, and, several years later, a daughter who, while lacking magical talent, carried a great number of their well-regarded family's circuits, guaranteeing her a comfortable marriage to nearly any single male mage she could possibly desire. However, upon coming of age, tragedy struck the young magus. Challenged to a duel by another relatively young mage, however several years his senior, Wei's son was thoroughly trounced, and, in a fit of defiance, violated his family's unwritten laws on the use of their power, unfortunately killing both his opponent and himself instantly. Heartbroken and ashamed of his son, Wei died only a few weeks later. With no mages left in the family, their crest lost and their name shamed by the cowardly actions of their heir, the Jiang family seemed doomed to fail. But, despite such expectations, the young daughter insisted upon carrying the torch left by her brother and father, denying suitor after suitor over the years in order to foster her own, limited magical capabilities and keep her family's legacy alive. Background Due to a lifetime of being even lowlier than a first generation Mage in the eyes of those around her, the young magus very often retreated within her own home when it came to the world of magic. She rarely spoke to any mages besides her mother for most of her lifetime, while becoming a very well-liked and very outgoing person amongst the normal population of her home town of Baltimore, Maryland. After her family moved back to Junction following the death of her father, what she found was somewhat surprising: Despite the events she'd been sneered at for so long happening in this very town, with these same families, she was treated with a respect she'd never been given before. Whether due to her mother's childhood friendships with the parents of her magus peers, because they knew something no one else did about the circumstances surrounding the incident or simply because her family had a history here, she to this day does not know. Despite the respect and kindness given to her, the girl still rarely ventured outside her own home in search of mages, instead preferring the company of regular people and how they flocked to her so readily, with the sole exception of one Alicia Archard, whom she met several years prior. Spending nearly every day together, even going so far as to take the same classes in order to be near each other, the two became inseparable. To see one without the other was a rare sight, indeed. However, the friendship was not meant to last, and with mounting differences in personality and responsibilities, the two split on mildly hostile terms, quickly replaced with a quiet vacuum between them. An unwritten agreement that conversation was to be kept to a minimum, and interaction on a mandatory-only basis, with only the utmost formality and coldness observed, effectively denying their friendship had ever existed. Trivia * Due to her family's Chinese Alchemical origin, she and every other member of her family practice Neidan, or Inner Alchemy. This includes eating a healthy diet, meditation and almost daily yoga to purify and maintain the body. * Summer's original ancestors come from the Guizhou province of China, known for its rich ore deposits, especially those of Cinnabar, an extremely coveted mineral in Alchemy. Category:FateLine Category:Archive